Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

iamtheeye-82-615479 Without question one of the finest performances of John Travolta's career (still think he should have at least been nominated for an Oscar for "Get Shorty" and of course "Battlefield Earth"...I joke, but the former I am very serious about). The film is a loosely based depiction of the 1992 Bill Clinton presidential campaign and adapted from the novel under the same name. This film has it all, a seasoned cast under the guidance of the late and great Mike Nichols. A great script filled with witty dialogue and top-notch execution by each of the actors. I am not at all surprised by the performances especially since Nichols came from the theater scene before transitioning to films. You really get to glimpse into how a campaign unfolds and the scrutiny under which you're put upon. This film, while serious at times, is really quite hilarious. Films such as "Game Changer" and TV shows such as "VEEP" and Amazon's "Alpha Dog" owe a lot to this particular piece because it really paved the way for funny, quasi-serious political narratives. Billy Bob Thornton and Kathy Bates were amazing but without question the star as mentioned at the top was John Travolta. He was BRILLIANT!! A very underrated performance. The only reason why I didn't give it 10 stars was Emma Thompson. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy her work but her accent was all wrong. It was just too forced and not believable. A tiny thing to ding on a film but it wasn't perfect but yet it almost was.

policy134 I am not an American but I truly learned about American politics from the time Bill Clinton took office. I also learned about the incredible power that television media began to accumulate during the early 90s.This is a film about both. I will not say that I learned much new about politics or the media. It was all brilliantly covered by the real newscasts. Bill Clinton was a major celebrity and also a good politician.This movie is not really about Clinton, though, as others have pointed out. It's about morals and how they are almost always compromised when it comes to politics. This is of course brilliantly captured with the Libby Holden character, played by the incomparable Kathy Bates.I do, however think that the film is too flawed to recommend. It has too much emphasis on the affairs of Jack Stanton, and I know why so much of the running time was spent on that. It's because Clinton/Stanton is or was a basically decent politician with one serious flaw. But in the end this flaw is milked and milked and milked to the point where I thought: "Okay, I get it!". As a consequence, several characters, who I thought deserved more development, were left hanging, like Billy Bob Thornton's and Maura Tierney's.It's a good enough film but it could have been more.

evanston_dad What on paper sounds like the ingredients of a smart, snappy political satire instead makes for an over-long and lifeless dud of a movie.Mike Nichols directs John Travolta and Emma Thompson as a political couple clearly modeled on Bill and Hillary Clinton as they make their bid for President and First Lady of the U.S. But the movie has no spark at all, and it drifts aimlessly and lethargically to its conclusion.The only person who is able to breathe some life into the proceedings is Kathy Bates as a firecracker of a political consultant. Once she departs the film, her presence is sorely missed.Grade: C-

ametaphysicalshark I really feel that Mike Nichols wastes his (considerable) talent on directing bland Hollywood films when he could be doing something interesting. This is exactly what "Primary Colors" is- a watchable and somewhat entertaining political satire but one that is bland and instantly forgettable. Well, outside of Travolta's best Bill Clinton impression, that is.Based on Joe Klein's book of the same name which was clearly (despite claims to the contrary) based on Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential campaign. It's amazing how dull this movie is when it has such a superficially interesting story to tell. It is under the pretension of being some sort of daring political expose when in fact it is really just: John Travolta impersonating Bill Clinton and look ashamed when another scandal about his past is revealed. Add to this some amazingly contrived and ludicrous dialogue from Elaine May and you have a very, very bland and predictable film.Good acting all-around, mostly celebrities being themselves or impersonating political personalities but nothing bad, exactly. Nichols is a good director and paces the film surprisingly well. The script is the main issue here and it is just a huge mess.6/10